Like most Australian children, 22-year-old Richard Eliason learnt to swim at a young age in order to keep his head above the water. But what began as a basic safety precaution turned into a life-long love affair with the water.

Richard has come a long way from his early days in the pool and burst on to the international swimming circuit, with a 200m breaststroke silver medal at the 2005 INAS-FID Global Games.

Two years later, he followed up with two gold, four silver and one bronze medal at the 2007 Global Games and in 2009, helped Australia win the overall medal tally, by contributing two gold, two silver and three bronze medals to the board.

When he’s not swimming, Richard enjoys riding his motorbike and watching the Moto GP as well as supporting the Cronulla Sharks in the NRL and listening to his favourite band, Blink 182.

He draws inspiration from Australian swimmer Brenton Rickard, who holds the able-bodied world record for Richard’s pet event, the 100m breaststroke. With the motto “it’s easy to be lazy, hard to be dedicated” driving him, Richard hopes to medal at the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships and represent Australia at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.